I'm thinking of carrying a plastic jar of organic creamy peanut butter to go with trail mix, jerky, chocolate bar, and a protein shake for lunch.

I've never eaten peanut butter on a daily basis and wonder what effects it may have on me. Opinions welcome.

It shouldn't have any negative effect on you, Tom, unless you're allergic to peanuts. I prefer the Smucker's Natural - simply peanuts and a very small amount of salt. It has a good mix of macronutrients - [healthy] fats, protein, carbohydrate, is very low in sodium and no added sugar. Read the label - basically just nuts. Bonus - it tastes great! Doesn't come in a plastic jar though or I'd take it on trips with me. There are some fairly similar ones that do though, but not quite as good IMO. I sometimes take one of those, but any other time I get the Smucker's Natural in the jar. Like all nuts and nut butters, it's a very high caloric density food.

Some have other things added - read the labels - salt, sugars, tropical oils, etc.

Just enjoyed a jar this week; one only lasts me 2-3 days. I think I ate PB almost every day for a while when I was a kid! Go ahead, Tom - enjoy a jar tomorrow :)

For years I have had it from day 11 (when my meat runs out) to day 23 and have never had any problems. Personally I love PB & cheddar cheese.

we eat organic pb with, and without nuts, with or without salt every week, i love the stuff. i take a pack of organic tortilla for a bp roll-up in the bwca.

bwcasolo: "we eat organic pb with, and without nuts, "

I've never heard of peanut butter........without nuts.

KarlBAndersen1: "

bwcasolo: "we eat organic pb with, and without nuts, "

I've never heard of peanut butter........without nuts."

lol, sorry, i meant to say chunky or smooth, good one! :)

I like a pb/gorp tortilla for breakfast or while on the trail. Quick and tasty! I second the Sumckers Natural as well, or something else like it without a ton of sugar.

All pros with that plan: no cons. PB is the best. And it's 170cal/oz.

It's a little more spendy but you can also get it in small squeeze pouches. When it goes on sale I usually stock up on some for trips.

I carry peanut-butter in these. They're handy and easier to dispense than having to dig out utensils when I'm paddling. Use a plastic spatula to push the p-butter down into each one. I soak them in warm water when I get home and scrub them out with a bottle brush. PB&Js can be a great source of energy when I'm paddling those long days.

Peanut butter is good. IMHO cheap is as good as expensive, only better because it is cheaper. A little goes a long way. It is doubly important if you travel with a dog.

muddyfeet: "All pros with that plan: no cons. PB is the best. And it's 170cal/oz. "

+1. And like Highndry I use the Coughlin tubes. I think I remember dropping a plastic jar of PB at home once and it cracked.

Ok, peanut butter it is then! There is a con BTW. The weight. But like someone said - a little goes a long way.

I also know that bears LOVE peanut butter. In 1983 a bear tore down our food pack on night one of our week long trip. I had transferred the peanut butter into a large lexan container with a screw top. This was hard plastic round jar about 6 inches wide and 7 inches high.

In all the food debris we found at the pack where the bear consumed everything but the wrappers, there was no trace of the plastic jar. I found this incredible. My guess is that the bear just bit into it and swallowed the whole jar. The peanut butter would have stuck to all the parts so I don't think he was picky.

He also liked our fuel canisters. Don't ask me why they were packed with the food and hung in a tree. Greenhorn logic I guess.

TomT: "Ok, peanut butter it is then! There is a con BTW. The weight. But like someone said - a little goes a long way.


I also know that bears LOVE peanut butter. In 1983 a bear tore down our food pack on night one of our week long trip. I had transferred the peanut butter into a large lexan container with a screw top. This was hard plastic round jar about 6 inches wide and 7 inches high.


In all the food debris we found at the pack where the bear consumed everything but the wrappers, there was no trace of the plastic jar. I found this incredible. My guess is that the bear just bit into it and swallowed the whole jar. The peanut butter would have stuck to all the parts so I don't think he was picky.


He also liked our fuel canisters. Don't ask me why they were packed with the food and hung in a tree. Greenhorn logic I guess.





"

As muddyfeet noted, it's 170 calories per ounce. It may seem heavy, but on a calories per ounce basis, it's lighter than anything you take except pure fat. Fat - butter, oil, lard - is over 200 calories per ounce and is a prime source of calories for arctic explorers who need to consume enormous numbers of calories; something like 18,000 per day, IIRC. One said he routinely drank cups of olive oil! Pounds of butter are also added to regular meals to up the calorie count.

It doesn't really surprise me that the bear ate the jar. In the deciduous forest down here, bear scat often is full of nut shells, so somewhere down the trail there was bear scat full of Lexan pieces :).

Don't know how old you are. If you have any age related IBS(irritable bowel syndrone) I would suggest trying this out at home for a week. High oil/fat content foods can set off frequent and uncomfortable sprints down the trail.

You have plenty of time to try this out at home. Something I do with all new camp menus.

sedges: "Don't know how old you are. If you have any age related IBS(irritable bowel syndrone) I would suggest trying this out at home for a week. High oil/fat content foods can set off frequent and uncomfortable sprints down the trail.


You have plenty of time to try this out at home. Something I do with all new camp menus."

Great idea, thanks!

TomT,

Love PB...power packed with calories etc. all the stuff everyone has already mentioned. A brand I absolutely love is Crazy Richard's Peanut Butter. If you read the label it will say Ingredients: Peanuts, that's it. It's worth noting that it DOES come in plastic jars (Boonie, I live just outside of Pittsburgh you should be able to find it in Morgantown area). One last point depending on location the same product, same company, is sometimes branded as Krema PB. Happy Trails!

Phish

Thanks, I'm pretty sure one of those brands is what I saw around here and bought.

The thing with on is you have to ration it. Takes self discipline I hope I still have around day 4 or 5. It's very addicting.

Toward the end of a hard day a spoon of pb before a hard portage provides the power needed.

TomT: "The thing with on is you have to ration it. Takes self discipline I hope I still have around day 4 or 5. It's very addicting. "

True for me! I usually just take nuts because they are easier for me to ration for some reason. If I open a jar of PB at home, it's usually gone in 2-3 servings! :)

Right Boonie? PB is the canoe camper's crack. I've got the shakes right NOW. :)